iOS 8 Update Can Give You iPhone 6 Experience On Your Current iPhone

Apple launched their most anticipated iPhone 6 earlier this month and they were, as usual, able to attract millions of users with eye-catching features. Although they got a huge number of sales but still there are a lot of people who can’t afford to buy iPhone 6.

Luckily for such people, Apple has released the latest version of their mobile operating system – iOS 8. If you want to know what it feels like to use the iPhone 6, but can’t buy it because of any reason, you can update your iOS to its latest version and enjoy all of the features currently available on iPhone 6.

Note that it is recommended you do not install iOS 8 on iPhone 4 as it requires screen space and processing power that iPhone 4 (and even iPad) lacks. But if you still want to try it out, you can download the latest version on your iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S, or 5C.

So let’s discuss how it feels like to use the latest iOS 8. The 1.2GB update will not bring much change visually, but as you go deep inside it, you will notice that many bugs have been removed (unfortunately some are still there) and new features have been added.

If you tap the home screen button twice, you will see you favourite and recent contacts, making it easy to call them quickly. The Messages app now lets you send voice bytes and your location to friends through iMessage.

iPhones were lacking in providing fast typing alternatives like swipe-to-type. This new update has a feature called QuickType which intelligently predicts the next word you are about to type. To make this prediction accurate, the operating system reads your message, understands it, and try to guess the context of your conversation. Once it becomes contextually aware of your conversation, it predicts the next word you might want to type.

It has much accuracy and has worked perfectly for a lot of users. For some, it has even replaced auto-correct. But everyone has its own preferences and Apple has finally admitted to this fact. For the first time, Apple has allowed you to install third-party keyboards and use them as default keyboards. Yes, you can download SwiftKey or Swype keyboard from App Store and start using them right away.

For me, allowing third-party developers to add their apps in iOS ecosystem is great step. It will not only provide iOS users more apps, but also it will help iOS expand rapidly like Android.

Talking about third-party apps, Apple has granted them access to some parts of the operating system and their apps can now talk to each other. For example, 1Password – a password manager app – can now use the fingerprint scanner of iPhone 5S and both versions of iPhone 6. Using this scanner, the app can identify you and you will not have to enter the master password to access your password vault.

However, it has its risks as somebody can somehow get your fingerprints, and use them to access all of your passwords.

The most interesting feature for me is Handoff. It would work with Mac’s next release – OS X Yosemite. With this feature, you can receive incoming calls on your Mac. To make it work, both of your devices should be connected to the same WiFi connection.

Handoff also synchronizes your iPhone with your Mac with such accuracy that if you are typing an email on your Mac and your battery dies, you can start writing the email on your iPhone from the exact point you left.

Besides these features, Apple has made Health, Tips, Podcasts and some others the default apps. Health app combines the features of all other health related apps so you no longer have to look for calories burned in one app, and kilometers run in another app. It will show you all such stats.